The case study involves a 7-year-old severely underweight female who lives with her mother. The mother is overweight and provides care during the week, while the father, who has a normal weight, spends weekends with the daughter. Unbalanced weight can cause a variety of metabolic and endocrine abnormalities, as well as other health problems (Dobner & Kaser, 2018). In addition, being underweight can lead to mental and psychological problems such as depression. Another possible risk of an unhealthy weight is infectious diseases, which are caused by malnutrition (Dobner & Kaser, 2018). According to studies in infants and adolescents, being underweight is more likely to raise infection risks than being obese (Dobner & Kaser, 2018). The child’s underweight condition can increase the risks of various endocrine disorders as well as infectious and psychological issues.
Further assessment of the child’s weight-related health requires information regarding the social environment and eating habits of the child. In order to obtain appropriate and accurate data, parents should provide details of their daily lives and interactions with the child. The information regarding the food that the daughter consumes, as well as the parents’ organization and creation of the nutritional plan, would be required in such a report. In addition, the assessment would require data regarding the lifestyle of the child (Garrido-Miguel et al., 2021). Additional information would allow for a deeper understanding of the issue that the child experiences as well as provide a foundation for a specialized approach.
Since the child lives with the mother for the majority of the week, the study should focus on obtaining information about the interactions between the mother and the daughter. In addition, the mother has a complex disease, such as obesity, and might be the reason for the child’s weight problem. According to research, obesity and underweight are commonly found in the same family (Garrido-Miguel et al., 2021). Thus, the weight-related issues may be caused by genetic similarities as well as the social environment in which the family lives. As a result, the explanation of the child’s underweight condition would require special attention to the lifestyle and social conditions of the mother.
The gathering of the information would require a careful and professional approach to the parents and the child. In order to achieve a detailed and sufficient review of the case, the parents should provide their consent to participate in the studies. Such consent may be provided initially by telephone call and later in a written form to ensure the safety of the parents and the child (Power et al., 2020). Since the family is Hispanic, the researchers would offer both Spanish and English translations of the consent documents and research instructions. Such a method would ensure the full understanding of the study and facilitate the obtaining of relevant data (Power et al., 2020). In addition, the parents would be able to monitor the study process and interviews with the child. The gathering of information would involve measuring the heights and weights of both mother and child (Power et al., 2020). In addition, to determine the risks to the health of the child, the parents would need to provide the results of a blood test. Such measures would increase the sensitivity of the tests to ensure an accurate examination of the case.
In order to assess the case with regards to parents’ potential sensitivities, three questions would be asked about the child’s health. The first question would be regarding the child’s food and nutrition preferences. To understand the causes of insufficient weight, parents should provide facts that describe the eating habits of the child. Such data may give an insight into the psychological aspect of nutrition and whether certain types of products may improve health (Power et al., 2020). Another question would attempt to examine the child’s lifestyle and behavior. Certain lifestyles, such as sedentary and physically passive, may affect the metabolism and therefore cause weight-related problems (Garrido-Miguel et al., 2021). An account of the child’s activities throughout the week may provide additional insight into the investigation of the weight issues.
The last question would be directed at the social environment of the family in order to assess its influence on the process of losing weight. For example, the parents and caregivers would need to provide information regarding the social interactions of the child. Such interactions and activities may include attending school, communicating with peers and teachers, and attending public events. The knowledge of the social environment would assist in analyzing the psychosocial aspect of the child’s issue.
Parents should use two strategies to improve their child’s health and weight. Firstly, caregivers need to attend seminars and meetings of healthcare specialists who provide relevant information regarding children’s nutrition and wellbeing. In addition, such a practice would include researching the topic by using authoritative sources and books. However, self-support cannot be sufficient for parents who experience the same issues as their children, so an external approach should be implemented too. The second strategy would require the help of psychologists and other mental health specialists to ensure that caregivers have a positive outlook and an interest in the issue. Parents would be required to visit professionals who would provide mental support. Such strategies would encourage the caregivers to be proactive about the child’s health as well as address their own health issues.
References
Dobner, J., & Kaser, S. (2018). Body mass index and the risk of infection-from underweight to obesity.Clinical Microbiology and Infection, 24(1), 24-28. Web.
Garrido-Miguel, M., Martínez-Vizcaíno, V., Oliveira, A., Martínez-Andrés, M., Sequí-Domínguez, I., Hernández-Castillejo, L. E., & Cavero-Redondo, I. (2021). Prevalence and trends of underweight in European children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis.European Journal of Nutrition, 60(7), 3611-3624. Web.
Power, T. G., Hidalgo-Mendez, J., Fisher, J. O., O’Connor, T. M., Micheli, N., & Hughes, S. O. (2020). Obesity risk in Hispanic children: bidirectional associations between child eating behavior and child weight status over time. Eating Behaviors, 36, 101366. Web.